My Heart Will Go On
by xXCuteMariaClaraXx
Summary: Engaged to be married to a man who does not love, a match enforced by her money grubbing guardian, Unkar Plutt. The poised young orphan aristrocrat, Rey, is utterly miserable. On her first night abroad the RMS Titanic, she debates by pitching herself over the edge of the ship and into the icy waters below, giving up hope in all. That is until she meets a certain young man named Ben
1. Never An Absolution

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lucas Film's (and Disney's) Star Wars and James Cameron's 1997 Film 'Titanic'.**

 **A/N: This is honestly my first REYLO fic, so I tried with all my best to make them stay in characters in AU. So I hope you will enjoy this and good luck!**

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" _Tell us, Rey."_

 _The young man sat down in his chair while holding the tape recorder as the frail old woman sighed deeply with her wrinkled hands rubbing together on her lap._

" _It's been… eighty-four years." Her voice trembled._

" _It's alright. Just, try to remember anything—anything at all."_

 _The old woman smiled in a small amusement. "Do you not want to hear this or not, Mr. Cameron?"_

 _He and all of the crew including her granddaughter beside her, twinkle lightly at Rey's small joke._

 _Reyna Kenobi then took another deep breath before she spoke of her tale._

" _It's been… eighty-four years… and I can still smell the fresh paint. The china had never been used. The sheets had never been slept in. Titanic was called… 'The Ship of Dreams'… and it was… it really was…"_

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The sea had always been appealing to Rey, in the years leading up to the present day. She had fond memories of visiting the Watergate Bay of Newquay with her parents as a child – they would ride horses and build sand castles and splash about in the surf from mid-mornings well into evenings, when the chauffeur would insist upon them getting back to the estate.

Of course, those were terribly distant memories of a world the young lady found herself struggling more and more to reach with every year has passed. Her mother and father, both kind, caring and generous as they are – had died when she was five years old, leaving all the fortune and child custody to her parents' long time business partner and merchant now a Baronet, Unkar Plutt and a few servants to raise her. The servants were friendly – her new guardian was not. The Baronet of Pluttington was a greedy, pompous, cruel man who raised Rey with a harsh hand, and never failed to use her to his advantage should an opportunity to arise.

Such an opportunity came knocking at their door about six months prior, when Lady Sindian and her son, Kace, showed up at the estate. To Rey, it had been a bizarre and unprompted visit; why on earth would an American businesswoman travel all the way to England with her son just to see the Baronet? Kace, kind as he was, had insisted it was merely a social call while they were touring the country – the baronet and the lady were closest acquaintances, apparently.

Neither he, nor Rey, had realized that, within the Baronet's study, an arranged marriage of "mutual benefit" was being drawn up. And so, less than a month later, the announcement of their engagement appeared in papers all over England's countryside and in society magazines in New York:

' _ **Mrs. Carise Sindian, of Birren & Associates: New York, is proud to announce the engagement of her eldest son, Mr. Kace Maddox Sindian, to the lovely Lady Reyna Sabine Kenobi, daughter of the deceased Earl and Duchess of Mandalore. The two will be wed on the 15**_ _ **th**_ _ **of May in England, at the Mandalore Cathedral, surrounded by Europe's aristocracy and several of Sindian's closest acquaintances, who will make the journey to Europe on the return trip of the RMS Titanic. We at the New Yorker wish the young couple well.'**_

The only pleasure Rey took from reading the announcements was a small sense of amusement at the variances between European news and its American counterpart. The announcements that Kace's mother had submitted were as flashy as her own guardian's were simplistic. But reading them had made this entire situation feel all too real, and today was arguably the biggest reality check of them all. For she was currently sat in a motorcar, across from Kace, watching Southampton rush by and the port, along with the largest ocean liner known to man, appear.

The date was April 10th, 1912, and the young couple, accompanied by Baronet Plutt and a few servants, were to sail across to New York to retrieve Kace's mother and her associates for the wedding, so they could all thoroughly enjoy Europe and take part in all of the pre-wedding festivities that were in order. While Rey loved a bit of a good party as a child when her parents were alive, the prospect of celebrating a marriage that she wanted no part in for an entire month had her feeling slightly ill.

"… darling? Did you hear what I said?"

Glancing away from the window, Rey shook herself slightly, meeting her fiancée's dark gaze.

"I'm sorry?"

"I was just commenting on how marvelous the ship looks. Have you ever seen something so _enormous_?" Kace asked, grinning broadly, and Rey cast another glance out the window, finding herself rather underwhelmed by the sight of the Titanic looming before them, growing closer as they approached the port. For Kace, it symbolized as returning home and collecting his family for his marriage to a wealthy young lady who will soon take the title as a Duchess when she reaches at her 18th year. For Rey, the hulking piece of iron symbolized the iron bars trapping her in a lifetime she had never asked for.

"It doesn't look any bigger than the _Maurtania_." She commented, earning a snort from Unkar Plutt, who lowered his newspaper to frown pointedly at her.

"Oh, don't be ridiculous. _Titanic_ is twice the size of the _Maurtania_ , easily. Did Professor Parkinson teach you nothing about size assessment? Or are you being foolish for you own crude amusement?"

"It was merely an observation, _Plutt_. You don't need to lose your head over it." Rey quipped in response, frowning pointedly out rhe window, and she found herself slightly grateful for Kace's presence when he remarked it. "Not an entirely unfounded one, either. _Maurtania_ was quite big."

It was moments like these days where guilt gnawed at Rey's insides. Kace was trying very hard to be a good fiancée. To make her happy. By all rights and logic, she should have come to love him by now. Six months was perfectly long courtship. But she just… _didn't._ It wasn't that she didn't like Kace; on the contrary, she was quite fond of him. He was a good friend, always considerate and with the exceptional wit of modern American boy, but he had been presented to her in a dreadful way. For her guardian, Unkar Plutt hadn't insisted upon the marriage hoping for her to be happy; no, no, no. it had been insisted upon because Kace Sindian was an incredibly rich young man with a massive wealth, and the Mandolore estate was, for lack of a better phrase, _broke_. The Baronet had spent all of her parents' fortunes on lavish accessories, and décor, and made numerous bad investments in businesses that went under, and now there was barely a penny left to her good name. Rey tried to argue with him one time, for spending all of her family's fortune into dust, she threatened him to call the authorities for all his doing but the baronet just laugh in cruel amusement when he told her that no one is going to believe an orphan child like her, and that made her feel a bit defenseless. Should Rey's marriage fall through, the estate would have to be sold, her family's possessions would be auctioned off, and they would be reduced to commonwealth within the year.

To Rey, that hasn't sound all too dreadful. Her heirship to become the Duchess of Mandalore had never appealed to her, even less so after her parents' death, and the very last thing she had wanted was to be forced to spend her life sorting out the mess that the Baronet had made. She'd debated running away multiple times, and evidently the Baronet knew of this, which is why he set up an ensnaring, wealth-ensuring marriage at the very first opportunity.

Kace Sindian was a kind individual, but he was the very last person that Rey wanted for a husband. Starting a marriage out of greed and based upon false promises of further wealth was a shameful plot that she was disgusted to be a part of.

"Do cheer up, darling. They've been calling Titanic the 'ship of dreams' in all of the papers. Doesn't that promise of an adventure?" Kace prompted as a motorcar came to a stop among hundreds of people and carriages and vehicles, and he offered Rey a whole-hearted smile for his benefit as her valet opened the door.

"Quite." She offered a kind smile as a response, watching as Kace stepped out of the motorcar, and Rey nodded for the Baronet to step out next, taking a deep breath of the wafting sea air before following in suit when the valet helped her out. She used to love the scent. Now, it was merely making her seasick.

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If there was one thing that Englishmen hated more than Americans, it was a hustler. A devious person who would join them at cards person who would join them at cards pretending to be a novice, easy pickings, only to take them for everything they had. They always kept an eye out for hustlers, and never let themselves fall for their tricks—and, if they, the bloke would never again see the light of the day.

In the local bar near the _Titanic's_ port where two men, one was Scottish and the other was Indonesian playing poker with two other men. One was a good looking thirty-two year old native Guatemalan with a short curly dark hair and playful deep brown eyes. The other was a strange yet a uniquely attractive twenty-nine year old raven-haired with somewhat cold dark eyes. Most people saw him, always thought that he was much older than his age because he was somewhat a good looking and a bit mature than his age led on. The two handsome men, a native one was Poe Dameron, and the raven-haired was Ben Solo. The bets were a watch, some money and two third-class tickets to _Titanic_.

"Solo, you're crazy." Said Poe to his American friend quietly. "You bet everything we have."

"When you got nothing, you got nothing to lose." Ben gave him his signature scoundrel smirk as the native Indonesian man turned to his Scottish companion and told him in English with his native tongue. "You moron. I can't believe you bet our tickets."

"Bala-Tik?" Ben asked. He didn't say anything and traded a card with Ben who put down the card that Bala-Tik had given him and took another from his stack.

"Alright," The young American man spoke, "I want the moment of truth. Somebody's life about to change. Poe?" his native companion threw down his cards. "Nothing."

" _Nada."_ Poe replied in Spanish.

"Razoo? Nothing. Bala-Tik?" The Scottish laid down his cards with pride.

"Uh-oh. Two pair." Ben deeply sighed before facing his Latino companion. "I'm sorry, Poe."

Poe began to cuss in his native words. _"Apueste todo nuestro dinero! Para nada?!"_ Ben puts his hand on his fuming friend's shoulder in order to calm down.

"I'm sorry, you're not going to see your home again for a long time." Ben suddenly grows his frown to a victorious smirk as he spoke out loud before slamming his cards on the wooden table. "Because we're going to America. Full house, boys!"

Poe's eyes brighten up and yelled out. "YYYESSS!" He grabs the tickets from the middle of the table and raises them in front of him with a victorious grin on his face.

As the two friends continue to rejoice their winning. Ben begins to collect all the money when Razoo grabbed him by the top of his shirt. He began to cuss in his native speaking and raised his fist when Ben looked away and shuttled one eye. The punch suddenly landed on his Scottish companion square in the nose as Ben just scoffed in amusement before facing his joyful friend.

" _Finalmente nos vamos a casa!"_ Poe rejoiced before Ben took the tickets from him.

"We're going home!" He yelled out happily then kissed it before hugging him and began dancing together.

"I'm going to America!" Poe exclaimed until the bartender interrupted their victory dance. "No mate!"

The two friends stop their victory dance then faced him when he pointed the clock. "Titanic leaves to America in five minutes."

 _11:55!_ "Oh shit!" Ben cursed with his eyes widen in shock. "C'mon. C'mon! Hurry! Here." Poe puts all the money in the sack that Ben kept as they carried their other bags.

Turning their boots, they raced from the bar before the door swung shut on its hinges behind them.

Racing down the street, forcing themselves to run just to keep up with their brisk pace.

"We're riding high style now!" Ben exclaimed as he and Poe continuously ran to catch the Titanic. "We're a couple of regular swells. We're practically goddamn royalty, _mi amigo_!"

Poe shouted back. "You see it's my destiny! Like I told you, I'm going to America to be a _millonario!_ "

Ben jumped in front of the horse and ran back to Poe. _"Estás loco!"_

"Maybe, but I've got the tickets." Ben amusingly shout out to Poe. "C'mon, I thought you said you were fast!"

"Oh shut up! You scruffy scoundrel!" The Latino shouted back in annoyance.

Ben laughed as they continue to run as fast they could even though they're running out of breath when Ben realized the loading planks were being pulled back by the crewmen.

"No, no, no! Wait we're passengers! Passengers!" Ben exclaimed. He handed the tickets to the man.

He looked at them suspiciously. "Have you been through the inspection queue?"

"Of course." Ben said while puffing out his breath. "Anyway, we don't have any lice or anything. We're Americans, both of us."

The crewman nodded sharply. "Right, come abroad." The two ran down the corridors passing by each person in the halls. "We're the luckiest sons of bitches in the fucking world, you know that?!" Ben exclaimed to Poe while continuously running their way to where everyone was waving goodbye to the crowds below.

"Goodbye!" Ben called out.

Poe scrunched his eyebrow in confusion. "You know somebody?" He asked.

He scoffed before smirking. "Of course not. That's not the point." Then faced the crowds down and waved at the people. "Goodbye! I'll miss you!"

Poe shrugged mindlessly as he did the same like his tall friend. "Goodbye! I'm never going to forget you!" He exclaimed. _Titanic_ began to slowly pull away from her harbor. Everyone was still waving and cheering before the ship starts to move in a pace leaving the people on land.

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 **Just to tell you one thing before you're done reading this first chapter, that I portrayed Ben Solo as a bit of a scoundrel like his good looking dad ;)**

 **Follow, Favorite and Comment will be a good payment for my writing ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ**

 **See you soon for the next update (≧∇≦)/ !**


	2. Comfort Sea Breeze

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lucas Film's (and Disney's) Star Wars and James Cameron's 1997 Film 'Titanic'.**

 **A/N: Hey guys, here's your 2nd chapter and enjoy :D!**

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Ben and Poe made their way back down to the third class level and began to look for their staterooms through the hallway.

"360." Ben murmured while looking from left to right, checking all the numbers of the front doors until he finally found their selected room. "Oh, right there." The two men walked in and encountered their temporary roommates who are two Indonesian men. Ben politely greeted the two confused men with a handshake before he turned around and saw Poe had taken the top bunk.

Lucky for Ben, his height is reached on the top bunk, making him easily caught Poe. "Who says you get top bunk, huh?!" Ben punched him playfully and laid down on the bottom bunk. The Latino leaned over the bunk and looked at his tall American friend.

"Nobody did, Solo, but you were too slow! And besides you're too tall to be in this top bunk!" He began to laugh. Ben gave him an annoyed look and laid back down. And as everything else that Poe does, he over did it and fell out of the top bunk, landing with a hard thud causing the two Indonesian men to flinch when they see Poe on floor, flat faced. Ben smirked as his Latino friend got up while rubbing his head, swearing under breath.

"You have issues with gravity don't you, Poe?"

Poe gave Ben a menacing glance then replied with a sarcastic tone. "Ha, ha, ha, very funny." And with that, he jumped back to his bunk.

One of the Indonesian men turned towards the other and asked him in their native tongue. "Where's Razoo?" The other merely shrugged.

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"… and where shall I hang the Piscasso, _ma dame_?"

Glancing away from her inspection of the suite they had been allotted for the journey, Rey met Paige's gaze then at Rose's, the two sisters holding each of the paintings, seeking out a good spot on the wall before making her decision.

"Over there will do. But take care that it will not be in direct sunlight; it will bleach the paint."

As you wish, _ma dame_." Both sisters agreed then bowed slightly, and Rey sighed with distaste. _My lady, my lady, ma dame, ma dame, ma dame._

"Must you call me that, Paige? Rose? You know I prefer to just be called by name." She stated, rolling her eyes when Unkar Plutt chose that exact moment to emerge from the drawing room, a scowl on his face.

"They will do no such thing! You are a lady, and you are to be referred to as such – especially by the servants. Paige, fetch me my cigar box; it seems to have been misplaced by the servant who packed my belongings." He then faced her younger sister and said. "And you, Rose, fetch me a glass and a bottle of brandy, I need to have some good relaxation after all the stress I have been through."

Right away, my lord." Two sisters agreed then bowed before retreating, and Rey resisted the urge to roll her eyes yet again. Her no good guardian knew perfectly well that Paige and Rose themselves were said _'servants'_.

"Must you be so rude? It would hardly kill you to speak to them kindly, they're our maids, for god's sake." Rey snapped, and that caused Unkar to scowl. If possible, even more pointedly.

"You dare use the Lord's name in vain? When he has given you all that you have?" He snapped, and, with her back to him, Rey _did_ roll her eyes. What has the Lord given her? Dead parents, a cruel guardian, being an aristocrat orphan and a crumbling fortune that he was responsible for rebuilding by marrying a man who she didn't love. Pardon her for not being overtly respectful.

"I'm merely suggesting that you manage the servants kindlier, considering we barely have enough money left to my name to pay their wages." Rey remarked coldly to her guardian who exhaled with a scoff.

"Nowhere does it say that I must be kind to my servants. Either I can be kind, or I can pay them. By all means, if they offer to work for free, I may be moved to kindness."

"Did you want something, Baronet Unkar? Or have you come only to patronize me?" Rey questioned, finally turning away from her painting to meet his steely gaze. "And just you wait. When I become a Duchess of this household and take my family's claim, I will find a way to get rid of you." She spat at him. The Baronet sneered at Rey's impertinence, but whatever retort she'd been about to fire back was interrupted by the two sisters re-entering the room.

"My sincerest apologies, my lord. I mistakenly packed your cigars with the brandy, and not in the trunk in which you had been searching." Paige said with a sincere gentle tone.

Not dignified her with a response, the Baronet took a cigar from the proffered box and waited for Paige to light it then took the glass and brandy from Rose's hands harshly before taking a long drag, blowing smoke in Rey's direction before finally speaking.

"We are to dine with the captain, Mr. Andrews and Mr. Ismay later this afternoon." He stated, and Rey arched an eyebrow but she didn't reply.

Not caring if she didn't respond, he continued. "I suggest you brush up yourself and make yourself look good for today."

"I honestly don't care what I look." Rey replied blandly when Rose offered her a glass of brandy. "And besides, I'm not the type of lady who adores jewelry and shining gowns, just so you know."

Thanking Rose for pouring brandy on her glass, Rey ignored the Baronet's obvious glare of distaste.

"You know I hate those foul things." She snapped as she looked at the glass of brandy. "No respectable woman would ever touch them."

Giving her head a shake, she brushed past Unkar and headed for the sitting room. If she had to be here, on a ship transporting her to her prison cell of a future, she would damn well drink a lot of brandies if she wanted to.

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Ben and Poe ran up to the bow to go look out at the ocean. Ben stood up on the platform and held onto one of the cables, Poe did the same. Both men leaned over the railing to see the water deeper. They stood upright and looked over at the horizon.

It's been a long time since he had been on a ship when his parents were still alive, he remembers his father making him sit on his old man's shoulder while on the platform watching the ocean with his mother on her husband's side leaning on his chest. He and his parents moved from New York to Italy where his grandparents lived when he was only five, things were starting to go well until his parents had gone into a huge argument every time when Ben was around, and that caused him to do something so horrible, he became distant from his parents, even though they tried to assure him that everything was fine but he didn't buy it and so he ran away without saying goodbye to them. Then soon after that, he was involved in huge parties, speakeasies, bootleggers, gangsters and had an opiate addiction in his teens until he was unfortunately caught by the police and was arrested. And there he was sentenced to seven years in prison. When his parents heard the news of his imprisonment, they were both disappointed and heartbroken as they visited him. His father, Han was more disappointed while his mother, Leia was more heartbroken to see their son in prison. Regretfully in response, He lashed them out and said _'Your son is gone, he is weak and foolish like you two are. Your son is DEAD! Leave me be to rot in prison!'_ And with that, he turned away from his parents, ignoring his mother's cries of plea, never hearing or seeing them again that is until seven years later when he got out of prison, Poe, his only childhood friend and neighbor whom he hadn't seen him for a long time told him that his parents are gone, his father Han, died from a heart attack, two years after his son's imprisonment causing Leia to go into a deep depression for almost a year due to her husband's death and her son's imprisonment, Poe tried all he could to take care of Leia and loved her with all he can but sadly, she had gone into an eternal deep sleep. Ben tearfully regrets his actions and the most terrible thing that he did when he last saw his parents is that he lashes them out cruelly. He will never forgive himself for that… _never_. But his old friend Poe told him that his parents forgive him, they always are and they didn't want to see him kneel down and cry for them, putting all the blame to himself. It took him a few days for him to recover after hearing his parents' death, and with that, he promised himself that he will no longer be that person he was seven years ago and he will redeemed himself on his own way... _for them._

Ben's past memory started to fade off from his thoughts as he tapped Poe on the shoulder. "Hey look, look, look!" He pointed down where he was looking down. "Look, look." Next to the ship is a single dolphin swimming and leaping into the air almost as if it was controlling the swells. "There's another one." He pointed again. "See him?" Ben asked Poe. Afterwards there was a whole pod of dolphins gathering together. "Look, look at the other one! Look, he's gonna jump!" He pointed the dolphin now jumps with a splash then the other and another as both men looked amazed at the dolphins' jump and speed.

Then Ben starts to jump onto the rail and yelled out. "Whoo!"

"I can see the Statue of Liberty already," Poe said jokingly while pointing towards the distance, "very small, of course." Ben laughed at his Latino friend then he lets go of the cable he was holding onto and raised his arms out. "I'M THE KING OF THE WORLD!" Both began to yell, whoop and howl, in Ben's case, with delight. Ben leaned back and let wind take him then closes his eyes, reflecting his good old days with parents as a happy child.

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 **Follow, Favorite and Comment will be a good payment for my writing ヽ(*≧ω≦)ﾉ**

 **See you soon for the next update (≧∇≦)/ !**


	3. Drown to Hopelessness

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lucas Film's (and Disney's) Star Wars and James Cameron's 1997 Film 'Titanic'.**

 **A/N: hey everyone, I apologize for being so late. The reason why it's because my laptop broke, so all of my files are gone. Including the stories I wrote. It took me a month to try to rewrite again the chapters I lost.**

 **But then again, I will update the 4th chapter next week just to make it up for you guys.**

 **And so... here's your 3nd chapter and enjoy :D!**

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"She's the largest moving object ever made by the hand of man in all history." Mr. Ismay proclaimed with pride in his tone. "And our master shipbuilder, Mr. Andrews here designed her from the kneel plates up."

The shipbuilder nodded with a slight smile then begins to explain.

Well, I may have knocked her together, but the idea was Mr. Ismay's." He continues to describe the masterpiece of ship with passion. "He envisioned a steamer so grand in scale and so luxurious in its appointments that its supremacy would never be challenged." He triple knocked on the table before claiming. "And here she is, willed into solid reality."

Rey seemed to be a bit bored at this conversation so she pulled out a cigarette and lighted it.

"You know it's unladylike for you to do that, child." Unkar Plutt said in mocking tone to her. Rey replied by blowing the smoke in his face, causing him to sneer at her. ' _Why you ungrateful prissy brat!'_ He thought in malice.

"My, she's quite the rebel there, Unkar. Are you trying to tame her, huh?" The women in elegant black on the other side of the table, chuckled as he looked at her with a look of either detest or utter disdain.

The women in a black dress was Margaret Brown, also known as _"Molly"_ who is looked down upon by other first-class women, referring to her as _"vulgar"_ and _"new money"_ , though she seems very friendly to Rey when she first met her and she honestly doesn't know why most first-class people despise her.

"Hey uh, who thought of the name _"Titanic"_? Was it you, Bruce?" Molly asked.

"Well yes, actually." Mr. Ismay smirked with pride as he continued to explain. "I want to convey sheer size and the size means stability, luxury, and above all strength."

Rey seems to look a bit annoyed at his words when she suddenly asked. "Do you know of Dr. Freud, Mr. Ismay?" He looks at her curiously as she continues. "His ideas about the male preoccupation with size might be of particular interest to you." Mr. Ismay's eyes widen in shock while Molly smiled and nodded at Rey's _"comment"_. Mr. Andrews struggled himself not to laugh but his usual calm physique crumbled.

"What the devil's has gotten into you?!" Unkar whispered dangerously.

Ignoring his question she spoke to everyone around the table. "Excuse me." Then got up from the table and left.

The Baronet stuttered a bit with shame as he begins to face Mr. Ismay. "Sir, I apologize for my lady's attitude. She's a bit uh—upset, not moving on about her parents' death." He explained, covering up with a lie as the chairman just nodded with understanding.

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Outside the deck, Ben was observing a few feet away before sketching the father explaining to his daughter on how the propellers work. During his good old childhood days, he has a passion for art. Whenever there is free time, he puts out his sketch pad and begins to look for something interesting to draw. Even in his dark days, he still continued his love for art without the people knowing his secret.

Beside him, his friend Poe seems to be talking to a new companion as he spoke.

"This ship is nice, huh?" Poe stated.

"Yeah, it's an Irish ship." The young African-American man replied.

"It isn't English?" He asked curiously.

"No, it was built in Ireland. 15, 000 Irishmen built this ship. Solid as a rock. Big Irish Hands." He explains when a steward passed by walking a pack of dogs that had owners in the first-class.

The sight of that made the black man roll his eyes in annoyance. "That's typical." He said flatly. "First-class dogs come down to take a shit." After he commented, he smokes with his cigarette.

Ben then face him with an amused smirk. "Uh, let us know where we rank in the scheme of things."

The black man scoffed. "Like we could forget?" He said before blowing the smoke from his cigarette. "I'm Finn Trooper." He reaches his hand towards the two, greeting them.

"Ben Solo." He reaches it and handshakes him first before Poe did the same.

"Poe Dameron."

"Nice to meet you two." He smiled before pointing out curiously at his sketch pad.

"Hey Ben, do you make money with your drawings?"

Ben was supposed reply when suddenly something emerges out in his sight… he saw _her_ … the young woman walked up to the balcony to look at the horizon. _'She's so… beautiful'_ he thought in admiration.

Finn seemed to notice his stare as he follows the trail on what he is staring at when he sees on what had caught Ben's eye as he grinned amusingly.

"Oh forget it, Ben. You would have wished to have angels fly out of your ass by getting next to the likes of her, you know."

He didn't seem to hear Finn's words as he continues to stare at Rey when she suddenly looks at him for a second then eyes away from him trying to ignore his intense stare but somehow she looked at him again, longer than she had previously did.

 _'Why is that man staring at me?'_ Rey wondered.

Ben's eyes still went to hers like he can't look away from the sight of her. Poe seems to notice his tall friend's gaze at the young woman on the balcony as he tries to break his friend's eye contact by passing hand in front of Ben's memorized face. Unsuccessfully, he just laughs at his best friend's face, gawking at the girl on the top.

Rey continues to stare at him until she suddenly felt a hand on her lower arm, she broke her gaze at the man below then looks up to face Kace, who looks a bit concerned towards her.

"Darling, I know you are a bit unwell for this but I think we should go back to the dining room, Unkar is starting to become concerned for you." Kace said in a calm reassuring tone.

Rey scoffed when she heard the word "concerned". _'Him, concerned?! For me?!'_ She thought. _'He is more likely pissed than concerned.'_

"Fine, I'll try to survive though." She replied, flatly.

And with that, Kace wrapped his arm around Rey's waist and left the balcony then walked their way towards the dining room.

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"Look who I found, wandering about." Kace remarked as he and Rey rejoined their table; The Baronet sent him out to search for her, rather irritated that she had shown little to interest in talking shop and then, out of nowhere, had excused herself. For a lengthy period of time.

"I hope you'll pardon me." Rey requested, even though she didn't really care all that much what these gentlemen thought of her. "I only meant to take in a bit of air, but the sunset distracted me."

"Ah," The Captain remarked with a knowing grin. "Captivating, isn't it? There's nothing quite like a sunset on the open water."

"It was rather breathtaking." Kace agreed, offering his fiancé a smile before lifting his glass of champagne to his lips and she nodded in agreement and smiled in return. She would much rather still be staring at the sunset than to be in a stuffy dining room, surrounded by stuffy, mindless people.

"You'll have to excuse my Lady's thoughtlessness." The Baronet remarked, his own champagne glass in his hand. "The Professor spent far too much time on the Arts than I would have liked. A request made by her late parents."

"Well, I don't think there's anything wrong with the arts." Kace remarked. Despite Rey acknowledgement to him as her fiancé only for family business, he wasn't nearly as stuck up as the others seated at the table. For that alone, she admired him.

"I couldn't agree more," Rey concurred, lifting her soup spoon. "Professor Parkinson had the finest taste in literature; Shakespeare, Dante, Homer and the like. He had a soft spot for modern painters, as well."

"All those mindless, useless drivel and a waste of my money." The Baronet remarked.

"Nonsense. I've been searching for a good tutor for my little sister back home, for months now, and this Professor of yours sounds just perfect." Kace smiled in amazement.

"Don't be a fool, Milord. Hiring that man will be a waste of time and money." Unkar stated, frowning pointedly across the table. "You'd be far better off to hire one of the professors down at Oxford. Far better versed in their fields. World renowned."

Frowning, Rey set her spoon down, narrowing her eyes at her ungrateful guardian.

"You can't be serious." She disagreed, her tone passing the point of politeness and verging on frank disdain. "The professors at that school are said to be horribly harsh. They're meant to teach gentlemen and ladies, not young boys and girls. They'd be liable to beat a child for not knowing the works of Plato by heart within a week."

"And so they should be," He rebutted, cutting his steak while he spoke. "Any scholar worth having caught to have a firm hand. Otherwise, their child will grow to be flighty and unreliable."

"Just the same, I think I'll pass on the Oxford professors." Kace interjected, clearly sensing things were going amiss between Lady Rey and Baronet Unkar Pluttington. "But I'll keep that in mind."

Rey was disgusted. The longer she sat with these people, listening to her guardian dictating on how a child taught to be raised to a perfect stranger, the sicker she felt. Was this to be her life after her marriage? Her children, doomed to be terrorized by this Baronet just as she had been if she dies like her parents? Was nothing ever to change? Glancing over at Kace, who was working his way through his chicken pot pie, she felt her anxiety worsen. This poor young man had no idea what he was signing up for. A life as her husband also entailed a life from which the Baronet would undoubtedly entail watching his children be treated with a cruel disposition and a harsh hand. It was making Rey feel claustrophobic.

No matter how much long she waited, all of this was still going to happen. She had a few days at best to come to terms with it all before she would be photographed with Kace among his family and acquaintances, and in a month they would be married. She could kiss any semblance of independence and freedom goodbye the second Kace places the ring on her finger. Then there was the possibility that, even with his fortune, there wouldn't be enough money to keep up the estate. The Baronet had thrust the crippling debt and an unloving marriage upon her, and it was too heavy a load for anyone to bear. The worst part was that, should she fail, all of the blame would be placed upon her. Her guardian had managed to lie the people and hide her debt incredibly well thus far – cruelly, so that her family's name would be tarnished. Should the truth will ever get out? But He would forever be revered as the good Baronet Unkar Pluttington.

"Ladies, it has been a pleasure. Would the gentlemen like to join me in the smoking room for a brandy?" Mr. Ismay asked as he stood, time having passed quickly and there was a general murmur of agreement as Rey found herself making an excuse.

"I actually feel that I may be getting a bit seasick." She lied, gripping the edge of the table and resisting the urge to flinch away when Kace laid a gloved hand upon hers. "You'll have to excuse me."

"Darling-" Kace tried to interject, but Rey quickly made her way out of the dining room, nodding curtly at the footmen before pushing the side door open to retreat out onto the deck – but she made no move to head towards their suite, as the Baronet and Kace undoubtedly have expected her to do. Rather, she turned and started briskly walking in the direction of the ship's stern – and then she found herself walking a bit faster, and faster until she was all but running while lifting her skirt to not get tripped over, shoving past the aristocrats on her way, earning a disgruntled shout from a colonel and a gasp from a duchess, but she didn't care. Her head was swimming, and it wasn't at all from seasickness. It was a crushing, unbearable sense of claustrophobia. Shoving the gate open, she darted down a set of stairs to a lower deck, shoving past more people and repeating the action a second time until she found herself in the furthest area of the ship from the dining room, the only sound now being the crashed waves below and her heart was hammering in her chest. She skidded to a stop and slammed into the railing, gripping it with white knuckles as she stared down into the black, sloshing abyss.

Rey was breathing heavily with panic, unsure exactly what had motivated her to come all the way back here. It was more than a need to escape the aristocracy for a moment; she could have gone back to her room to do that. No, this felt far more… dire. She felt like a caged animal, desperate for a way out. Any way out.

Without thinking twice, she clamored up onto the ship's railing, one rung at a time, and then lowered herself down onto the other side, clinging for her dear life as she stared down at the ocean, her breath still coming in cold, wheezing pants. She could do it. She could let go, and fall into the water below, and welcome death with open arms. Perhaps she would get to see her beloved parents again. She'd certainly never have to face Unkar again. The only thing keeping him from letting go immediately was the thought of poor Kace. She was no fool, he was kind to her, and called her _"darling"_ , but he undoubtedly wanted this marriage just a little as she did. He, like her, likely wanted to marry someone for love. The only reason she had agreed to this mess for so long was because she truly was fond of him; he was a kind young man, with a good heart, and he could, at the very least, be an equally kind wife to him. But marrying someone out of courtesy seemed almost worse than marrying him for his money.

Squeezing her eyes shut, Rey steeled herself to let go until she heard someone calling out to her from behind.

"Don't do it."

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	4. Her Savior

**Disclaimer: I do not own Lucas Film's (and Disney's) Star Wars and James Cameron's 1997 Film 'Titanic'.**

 **A/N: hey everyone, I apologize for being so late, AGAIN. It's because I seriously have a lot of things to do at school, so I hope you will forgive me for that**

 **But then again, I will update the 5th chapter next week just to make it up for you guys, I PROMISE. I SWEAR I WILL.**

 **And so... here's your 4th chapter and enjoy :D!**

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It was late. Well into the evening, by any standards. Ben somehow had lost his father's pocket watch before going into the ship, so he wasn't sure of the exact time. His only possessions were the clothes on his back, the boots on his feet, and an old sketch pad with a few blank sheets of papers and pencils tucked into his bag. Which was more than fine with him. The less materialistic you are, the easier it is to up and leave and go where the wind takes you. It had gotten him this far; a ticket aboard the Titanic and enough money to last a few weeks in New York while he found his footing.

Poe had taken his leave an hour or so ago, claiming to be tired. Ben had opted to stay up on top, lounging on a bench and staring up at the night sky. It was even clearer out on the water than it had been in Paris or Southampton; the stars seemed to go on for miles and miles, endlessly, like the universe's very own masterpiece. Staring like this, he could see where Vincent Van Gogh had taken the inspiration for _Starry Night_.

Inhaling the dregs of a cigarette he had bummed, Ben's artistic reverie was rudely interrupted by a rather loud sound of someone thundering past him, breathing like a panicked dog. That seemed bizarre, on the _'ship of dreams'_ ; especially this part of the ship of dreams. Sitting up, he rose to his feet and walked over to flick his cigarette butt over the edge of the ship's railing, freezing with wide eyes when he realized someone else had the same idea – only they weren't planning on pitching a _cigarette_ over the edge. They were planning on doing something far, far worse.

Approaching as quickly as he can, but also as quietly, as possible, Ben took a slow breath before daring to speak. He was terrified of spooking this figure of desperation and accidentally sending her falling off, but he couldn't just let her do it of her own freewill, could he?

"Don't do it." He finally spoke out which caused the young woman to jolt in surprise but to his relief, she didn't let go.

"Stay back." She warned the young man in front of her. Then she realized that it was the same man that was staring at her earlier that day. "Don't come any closer."

"Ma'am?" He prompted, once again relieved when she didn't flail and fall to her death. "Ma'am, I really don't think that's such a good idea. I'm quite sure the railing was designed to keep you _on_ the ship." Ben walked closer to her trying to coax her back. "Come on. Just give me your hand. I'll pull you back up." He extended his hand towards her.

"No! Stay back! Don't come any closer!" She rasped in response, her voice a few octaves higher than it likely would be under normal circumstances, and Ben knew he had to act quickly. Even if she chose to come back over, she would only be able to hold onto that railing for so long. Eventually, the cold air and damp ocean spray would make her slip.

"Milady, please-"

"I said not to come any closer!" She cried out, turning her head to look at him, her eyes went wild. "I'll jump!"

 _'I have to get a bit close enough without having her freaked out.'_ Ben thought.

"With all due respect." He countered, cautiously stepping forward. "You look as though you plan to jump no matter what I do. I'd like to persuade you not to do so."

The closer he got, the more he recognized her; she was the sad young lady from up above. The sad maiden with such piercing gaze. It almost troubled him, how spot on he had been about her.

"I told you to not come any closer, damn it! I don't care what you have to say! I'm going to let go!"

Leaning against the railing, Ben quietly cleared his throat, glancing down at the ocean below. He'd been in this part of world long enough to know that the water would be freezing cold; if she didn't die on the impact from such a high fall, she would freeze to death or drown, both of which would be awful ways to go die. Freezing would be slow and torturous, and drowning would feel like a thousand icy knives piercing her lungs. No one deserved to go that way. Not even _les riches_.

"I'd really rather you not let go, ma'am." He prompted, turning his head to look at her, watching as she continued to breathe heavily. "Because, if you do, I'll have to jump in after you."

"What?" The rich, desperate young lady exclaimed, finally turning to look at him properly. "Are you bloody mad? You would die!" _'_

"Possibly, but I'm a good swimmer." Ben assured her, lifting his cool fingers to begin to take off his jacket, shrugging it off and setting it aside.

"The fall alone would kill you." She argued.

"Yes, it would hurt." He replied while bending down to staring unlacing his boots. "But I'm far more concerned about that water than the fall itself."

Frowning, the young lady paused in her ravings, turned her gaze back to the sloshing waves below, her voice quieter when she asked. "… why?"

"Because it's freezing cold, of course." Ben explained, tugging his boots off one by one, setting them with his jacket before looking over the edge again. "If I jump in there after you, there will be no way for me to pull you out, and we'll both freeze to death. Or drown. Or, if you want to be poetic, we could be ripped to shreds by the ship's propellers and then be devoured by hungry sharks."

"… _sharks_?" She wheezed, seeming to get a few shades paler.

"Sharks, you know. The carnivorous big-" His explanation was cut off when Rey spat out angrily.

"I know what those sharks are!"

"Sorry. You just seem like, you know, kind of an indoor girl." _'Nuts and ill-tempered… you've really hit the jackpot this time, huh, Solo?'_ He thought sarcastically. "Anyway, I saw porpoises this morning – and where there's one large marine animal, there are bound to be others. Sharks included."

"Oh, good god…" She croaked, clinging even tighter to the railing, turning to look over at Ben once more. "Why in God's name would you jump in after me to face all of that? You must be crazy!"

"That's what everybody says, but just to let you know that I happen to be also quite noble. Now that I've tried to talk you out of it, should I fail that it only seems right to die alongside with you."

"Good god…" She whispered again, both baffled and horrified by his honesty, and Ben gave her a calm yet small smile.

"I'd really rather not die; I'm quite looking forward to go back home with my family that I haven't seen for many years. So if you could step back over the edge, I'd be very appreciative." His gaze softening as he added. "Come on. Come on, give me your hand. You don't want to do this." Ben extended his hand far enough so Rey could reach him. She slowly took his hand and turned around as she trembled slightly, both from the cold ocean spray and her own terror, the young lady looked up to face Ben, her eyes still wide with fear. Eyes, he noted, as green as the deep forest woods that made him become so enamored towards her.

"I'm Ben Solo. What's your name, _sweetheart_?"

"… Reyna Sabine Kenobi."

"A bit of a mouthful there. Guess I'm going to have to get you to write that one down." He chuckled at her full name as Rey can't also help but laughed along with his small joke. "Come on, carefully. Just climb over to me. I won't let you go."

Carefully, as he had instructed, she tries to step up the rungs but suddenly her shoe got caught on her long dress and she slipped with Rey screaming in panic terror. Ben's eyes widen when he saw her slipped as he caught her hand so suddenly with both of his hands tightly.

"I got you! Come on." Ben tries to reassure her as Rey tries to climb but got slipped again causing her to scream more loudly for help that it reaches the other part of the deck where the three officers heard a lady's screams as they ran off to see what was happening.

Ben struggles to pull her Rey back up but keeps on panicking.

"Please get me up!" She screamed with her afraid eyes.

"Listen. Listen to me." Ben said while trying to reassure her. "I've got you and I won't let go." Rey seems to stop screaming but her panicking breathe never leaves her as she begins to trust him when he tells her to keep on pulling herself up. "Now pull yourself up. Come on." Ben pulled her up as she tries to keep on climbing with her feet. He then pulls her over and held her as he have her in his arms.

"I've got you." It was a success but Ben accidentally let both of them fell on the deck as the three officers arrived to see where Ben and Rey.

"What's all this, then?" one of the officers inquired. Ben got off of Rey, sat with his hands resting on knees. The officer saw the young lady's dress was pulled higher than it was supposed to be, revealing her stockings and shoes. Then looks at the woman looking extremely terrified and trembling. He looked at Ben's direction and the first thought that would come into mind would be… _a low class man raping a high class young woman!_

"You stay back! And don't move an inch!" Ben follows the officer's orders as he stood up and stuff his hands in his pockets. _'Oh great, more bad situations'._ Ben thought sarcastically.

But luckily, Rey calmed herself and sat up to defend him. "Wait, he has done nothing wrong." She gasp out, prompting the officer to turn his head to face her. "I was careless, and nearly fell over the edge. This man… saved my life."

Ben just stares at her with a soft expression when he saw her looked up to him and gave him a gentle smile.

"Was that truly the way of it?" the officer asked, turning to face him again.

"Yes." He replied in calm tone then nodded. "That was the way of it."

At that precise moment in time, further footsteps echoed across the deck, followed by an exclamation of, "Darling! What are you doing lying on the _ground_?"

Rey turned her head and caught the sight of Kace, accompanied by Paige and Rose along with a deck hand, hurrying down the stairs. Kace was quick to shove Ben aside, ignoring the man he shoved past by as he focuses his concern on Rey.

"What on earth happened here? Do you realize who this woman _is_?" He snapped, and Rey thanked Paige and Rose as the two maids helped her to her feet, taking a deep, steadying breath. But now Kace was fussing over her, just as she had been fussing over Ben mere moments ago. "Darling, what happened? I went back to the room, and one of your two maids said you hadn't returned, and then this one," He gestured vaguely to the deck hand, "said he saw you run past like a bat out of hell!"

The deck hand cleared his throat, explaining that _"Bat out of Hell"_ wasn't his exact word choice, but Rey shook her head dismissively, not troubled by it.

"Seasick." She quickly prompted herself to lie, honing in on her previous excuse. "I was seasick. Quite unwell. I came back here for… some air." She explained, glancing over the ship's railing once more before seeking out Ben. She had yet to thank him for saving her from falling off deck. She wanted to do something in return. But he wasn't standing on the deck, where he had been a moment ago.

In the fuss of her fiancée and her maids, Paige and Rose, along with the ship's staff, hurrying her aid, he'd made his escape – likely because he wasn't supposed to be up here in the first place.

Her savior, a handsome man with a beautiful heart, was gone.

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